Today’s rain made for a good day to do work in the hoop houses. The newest of our hoop houses, nicknamed the ‘Big House’ (as it is our biggest) was worked in as well as “Blue Skys” (first built), and “Jerry” (second built and was the first build by our wonderful volunteer Jerry). It is really nice to have cooler days to work in the hoop houses, as on sunny days they are *very* toasty and not as comfortable.

One of the occupants of the “Big House’ is Beira Kale. It is the first time that we have grown this variety and we are looking forward to introducing it to you at the market this week.

As described by Johnny’s Seeds, Beira is the traditional leaf kale (Gallena) for Portuguese kale soup.

This unique specialty from Portugal is also called Portuguese cabbage or sea kale. The taste and texture of the wavy green leaves are similar to collards. The thick fleshy midribs and stems can be peeled and eaten like celery or included in the soup.